Senator Clinton Hails House Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act

Aug. 1, 2008 - PRLog -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today hailed passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act by the House of Representatives. Introduced by Senator Clinton in the Senate and by Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) in the House, the legislation provides critical steps to empower women to negotiate for equal pay, to create strong incentives for employers to obey the Equal Pay Act and to strengthen federal outreach and enforcement efforts. The bill, which enjoys the support of over 200 organizations, passed the House by a vote of 247-178.

"Women have shattered so many barriers in the 45 years since the Equal Pay Act was enacted. And for young women paving their way in the workforce today, the sky is the limit. But we still have work to do to truly level the playing field,” said Senator Clinton. “That's why I have championed the Paycheck Fairness Act to build on the promise of the Equal Pay Act and help close the pay gap. The Act would prevent, regulate and reduce pay discrimination for women across the country. I am proud that the House has passed this legislation to help ensure equality in the American workplace. I hope that we can take quick action on this measure in the Senate, and that the President will then do the right thing for these hard-working individuals and their families and sign this long overdue bill into law.”

“Today we build on the legacy of those who preceded us – those pioneers at Seneca Falls, as well as the women who blazed a path in the House. Today we stand up for working women and their families,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “As Members of Congress, my colleagues and I are fortunate to come to work everyday in this extraordinary institution – from different regions with different backgrounds and different experiences – but man and woman, we are paid equally. Every woman in this country deserves the same. Every family deserves to know that this institution will act today to make it real.  It is about ensuring that women who work hard and productively and carry a full range of family responsibilities are paid at a rate they are entitled.”

"Today the Congress has sent a message to women across the country that their work is valued.  Equal pay is an issue of fundamental fairness. But, as families grapple with difficult economic times, equal pay for equal work is often about daily survival for millions of families.  I commend Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro for her tenacious leadership, and my colleagues in Congress for their strong support of this essential legislation," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Forty-five years after passage of the Equal Pay Act, it is shocking, and totally unacceptable, that women continue to be paid substantially less than men doing the same jobs,” said Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center.  “The Paycheck Fairness Act is essential because current law is not up to the job of eliminating the discrimination that causes this wage gap.”

“AAUW is proud to be a critical force behind passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, and action on the bill comes at an important time. In this economy, women are even more sensitive to issues of equal pay,” said Lisa M. Maatz, director of public policy and government relations for the American Association of University Women. “Younger women especially also identify equal pay for equal work as a vote driver, and I suspect it’ll be on the minds of a lot of women as they go to the polls in November.”

The Paycheck Fairness Act reasserts the principle that women and men should be paid the same when doing the same work, and making it real by allowing female employees to sue for compensatory and punitive damages. It would create a training program to help women strengthen their negotiation skills, enforce equal pay laws for federal contractors and require the Department of Labor to work with employers to eliminate pay disparities by enhancing outreach and training efforts.  Also, the bill would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers.

Forty five years after the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, pay discrimination still exists in the workplace.Women still earn only seventy seven cents for every dollar men earn for doing the same work. The pay disparity is even larger among African Americans and Latinos; it affects women at all levels of income and across a wide range of occupations; and the gap widens as women age.  As a result, millions of American families lose out. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, working women stand to lose $250,000 over the course of their career because of unequal pay practices.  According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the wage gap continues to persist even though women posted a greater net increase in jobs paying above the median salary than men from 2000 to 2005.  In 2005, the median weekly pay for men was $663 compared to 73 percent of that for women, who earned $486 a week on average.

Senator Clinton has long been an advocate for equal pay for women.  Last month, Senator Clinton joined Senate and House Democratic women and Lilly Ledbetter, the plaintiff in a recent Supreme Court case on pay discrimination, to call upon Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. In April, Senator Clinton spoke on the floor of the Senate in support of fair pay legislation. Last year, Senator Clinton co-chaired a hearing of the Labor Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) entitled "Closing the Gap: Equal Pay for Women Workers" to draw attention to the need to close the continuing pay gap between men and women. On Equal Pay Day 2007, she called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) with Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) to investigate the role the federal government has and can play to remedy pay inequities in the workplace. In 2006, Senator Clinton co-hosted a "Pay Equity for Women" seminar with Stony Brook University that drew hundreds of students as well as leading educators and experts in gender equity business issues. At the seminar, Senator Clinton unveiled a resource guide titled, "Know What to Ask & Know Your Rights: A Pay Equity Guide on How to Help Yourself in the Workplace." The guide is an informative tool for young women entering the workforce and can be found on Senator Clinton's web site here.

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A Native of New York, Rena writes as a freelance speech writer, ghost writer, journalist, and poet. She has been represented by the Hearst Corporation, Conde Nast, and Random House.